Editor’s Note, October 27, 2024: This mailbag has closed. You can read Valerie’s answers here.
Dear Dispatch readers,
Thank you to everyone who participated in our latest Monthly Mailbag with Dispatch Politics reporter Charles Hilu. To read about his Lebanese heritage, high school theater career, and University of Michigan fandom, be sure to click here.
As The Dispatch turns five years old, Valerie Smith, our director of talent and operations, has raised her hand to take on all of your questions.
Valerie joined The Dispatch as its first employee back in 2019, before it was even called “The Dispatch.” Prior to that, she graduated from Wheaton College and was chief of staff at an Illinois-based non-profit.
As you’re thinking about questions you have for Valerie, here are some suggested topics:
- What it was like being the first employee of The Dispatch.
- Why she said “yes” to working at a company that didn’t yet exist.
- Advice for landing an internship and turning it into a full-time job.
- How a liberal arts education prepared her for a future in HR and operations.
- Her experience living in the Midwest for 10 years as an East Coast native.
- Her favorite parts of The Dispatch’s culture.
Drop your questions for Valerie in the comments section on this post, and keep an eye out for an email with all of her answers at the end of the month!
Please note that we at The Dispatch hold ourselves, our work, and our commenters to a higher standard than other places on the internet. We welcome comments that foster genuine debate or discussion—including comments critical of us or our work—but responses that include ad hominem attacks on fellow Dispatch members or are intended to stoke fear and anger may be moderated.
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